Events like the increasingly popular weekly Slow Roll Detroit help feed the demand for bikes and service in the city.

At a time when bike riding — for commuting and fun — is on the rise, the first public bike share program for the greater downtown Detroit area rolled forward Monday with a three-year financial commitment from Henry Ford Health System/Health Alliance Plan.

The amount of the commitment was not disclosed.

The city's Department of Transportation has also collaborated with the Downtown Detroit Partnership to secure federal grant funding, which will be used to purchase bike share stations. DDOT is also working with DDP to secure an equipment provider and operator for the bike share system.

“I think this is a great example of a public and private sector partnership,” said Lisa Nuszkowski, executive director of the Detroit Bike Share program for the DDP. “It’s just great that we can get so many major players around the table to support this.”

Additional support is coming from the Michigan Department of Transportation and Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, both of which helped DDP apply for and obtain a Transportation Alternatives Program grant. TAP works to provide funding for programs and projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

Others supporting the bike share system are the Kresge Foundation and Hudson-Webber Foundation.

“We’ve been fortunate to receive so much help from our sponsors,” Nuszkowski said. “They’ve all been helpful in many ways to make sure this gets up and running in 2016.”

Detroit Bike Share is expected to cost $2 million to start and $1 million annually to maintain 350 bikes and 35 stations throughout greater downtown Detroit. Exact costs for the bikes and stations and a launch date have not been decided because equipment companies have not been chosen yet, Nuszkowski said.

DDP is looking for involvement from additional local businesses. Nuszkowski said she wants the program to be something people talk about as they enjoy activities in Detroit.

“We’d love bike share to be a connector to economic growth in the community,” she said. “The goal is for it to grow and spread across the city.”

Consideration of a bike share program in Detroit began at Wayne State University, where the Office of Economic Development conducted a feasibility study and helped raise awareness and funds for a system. The program officially transitioned to DDP in July.